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The first thing on my computer related list for this summer is to rip a "good" number of our movies on DVD into a universal portable format. From where I stand, "universal" video format would mean MP4. Please understand, that when I mean "rip", I don't mean to download! I mean to take DVDs that we've bought, own, and convert them to a different format for our personal use. I'm going to bet that, that fits in the vast majority of peoples' definition of "Fair Use". I'm going to leave the how part of it up to you to find out in the wilds of the internet. There are plenty of sites that describe the process in detail. The fact is that we are going to be spending a fair number of hours in vehicles, cabins, and hotel rooms this summer and the obvious use of movies in some computer file format will be advantageous.
The need for this comes from our family's conversion to the common use of tablets; iPads to be specific with the exception of myself (Android). You know of course that the iPad has no facility to physically connect to external storage. So an intermediary needed to be found. Earlier this spring, I came across the HooToo Tripmate as a wireless means of getting files to my students in the classroom. In the midst of that, I realized that it could just as well stream media to various platforms as long as they had the Tripmate App. About a month ago, I tested it with my ThinkPad Tablet (Android) while my friend Pat did the same thing on his iPad Air. I put a movie converted to MP4 on a flashdrive which was plugged into the HooToo Tripmate Elite (Newegg special, about $20). We both streamed the movie to our respective machines without issue. All that needs to be done is for each device to log onto the Tripmate's access point, open the App, navigate to the folder/file that the user wants and voila', INSTANT STREAMING MEDIA. Unfortunately, there is the "Teddy Roosevelt" digging the Panama Canal part, which is to laboriously rip and convert the a decent library of movies for the kids to access!
Item #2? Yeah, a power supply replacement. I recently came across a very nice Seasonic M12 II, 80 Plus Bronze semi-modular PS unit for about half of what the normally sell for.....so...... at some point, when I'm really ready to pull the giant Cosmos II back out from under the desk, then I'm going to switch it out from the Cooler Master 600w PS that's in there. So I needed this? No! But I'm a big Seasonic PS believer and they are quiet and run cool. I'm all about that. Plus; the price was right. About $45, after shipping.
My garage isn't exactly an e-waste dump, but I've really got to get in there and do some cleaning out. Most of what I'm going to get rid of will go to the new computer club but there are some items that need to be sold....
....which of course, leads to this sub-list. Items to sell off! This is very difficult for a border-line hoarders like me, but I've gotta do it.
Unfortunately, all this good planning to get things done isn't completely contingent on my motivation alone. I really need for my wife to figure out where she's going and get all the stuff in the garage into her new classroom! When that's been taken care of, then I'll be free to get my cache of computer parts out of the garage. Till then, the main trick to to NOT add to the pile!
It's almost upon us....the most dreaded day of the year......Black Friday!!! This year is going to be extra dreadful. Black Friday combined with.....B.Y.O.D. That's bring your own device for the uninitiated. I'm not sure how it is in other parts of the country (but I suspect that it's about the same), schools have decided to get out of the technology hardware game and have largely embraced the B.Y.O.D. concept in some form. It's simply moving too fast for the institutions to keep up with it, plus it's so pervasive that most students either have it already or are acquiring it eminently. So even schools like mine which had been on the cutting edge by providing laptop computers are bowing to this irresistible force of technology.
What has also become apparent is that many parents played the "wait and see" game to determine how much their children were going to need to use technology and how the schools were going to implement it before running out and buying something. Well, I'm going to bet that they've seen enough to now "make the call". So, either they, the grandparents, Santa, or whoever is going to make a major run on these things during this year's holiday buying season.
Although, B.Y.O.D. doesn't necessarily define it's technology to mean tablets, and sometimes, that's not even the best device for the child; I'm going to bet that they will be the majority of what's purchased this year. There's a number of reasons, but this post isn't about deciding between them, although I might feel the need to write one on that later. This post is about the parameters that make up the decision making process of choosing a tablet. Of course, I'll have to put the caveat out there that the information is for what's currently out now (Nov. 2013), and of course to some degree will be effected by my philosophies and biases. That's out of the way; let's get down to it!
No; that's not me. That is of course, the great Steve. And for many who have just paid attention to their awesome ad campaigns and drank the Apple "Juice" (Kool-Aid to some), you'd think that all anyone needed to do is to run out and buy one of their Uber-Cool devices and have done with it.
Of course, I'm a technological heretic and am here to tell you, it's not that simple. In today's tablet world, there are 3 main forces in play. Apple "IOS" (iPhone, iPad, iBlender, iDryer, yada-yada-yada, ad nauseum), Android (Pretty much any non-Apple Smartphone and Tablet) and new to the game; Windows (Actually Windows 8, phones and tablets). All three, have their strengths and weaknesses and I'll go through them one by one.
There's that man again! Well; that's because he/they invented the modern category of the tablet as we know it, with the original iPad of April, 2010. First, let's eliminate that from your buying consideration, no matter how great of a deal that "Uncle Ross/Aunt Judy" is offering you for their "almost-new" one....don't buy it! This first version of this product simply won't run many of the modern apps on it's IOS 5 which can't ever be updated to a newer version...end of story. Trust me; we have one. However, the iPad 2 (oddly still in production) will run the up-to-date versions of IOS, but just slower then the newest wiz-bang iPad "Air" which has the super-duper-secret-alien technology screen. In all seriousness though, any and all iPads are technologically cutting edge, and function virtually flawlessly and get great battery life. The down side is that they are generally more expensive than others with the current models starting at $399 and going up from there. Best bet in Apples (vs. Oranges ...padump) is the iPad 2 which sells down around $350. Your kids won't be able to tell the difference in the speed of the hardware between it and the more expensive versions. Are there downsides to iPads? Yup; IOS isn't as "open" as Andriod and therefore, some APPs don't have an IOS version. So if you are getting it specifically with the intention of your kid using it in school, I'd absolutely check to make sure whether there's an IOS version of the APP that their teacher(s) are looking to use! Plus, for all it's cutting edge technologies, Apple products are not often friends with otherwise "common" ports like USB, card readers, etc. You'll have to buy a separate device to say.....connect your digital camera or flash drive. Believe me, I've felt this pain. Oh yeah, almost forgot; if you are looking for a smaller version, the iPad "Mini" starts at $280. Also almost forgot; there's a dark secret about IOS devices that they don't like to talk about. They won't run anything with Adobe Flash. What's that you ask? Well kiddies....it's those fun little videos and other automated gizmos that are on everybody's websites these days ranging from just plain news sites to (unfortunately) many educational sites as well! Not trying to Apple-bash, just lettin' you know one of the issues Apple-philes have to deal with.
The other "heavy-hitter" in the tablet market are the various Android tablets. It doesn't matter whether you are looking at a Nabi, the Kindle, or the ubiquitous Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 or 3, they are all based on Google's little adaptation of the Linux OS we all know as the Android. Let's start with the basics before it gets complicated. Don't buy the little cheap ones that you see advertised at places like Big Lots for something in the order of $50-70. Just don't do it. They often run an old, designed for smartphones, version of the OS that runs on a single core processor. An older OS, means that besides it not having the newer improvements and features, but that it also won't run some APPs. A single core processor means that it can't be upgraded to a new OS either. In general, if you are looking for a "budget" tablet in the sub-$200 range, look for an older major brand, like Samsung, Asus, or Acer with at least a "Dual-Core" processor. You won't get the nicer HD screen, or much memory, but it'll be enough to run what you want to.
What about the next group "up"? $250 or so? In that case, you really want to start with "Quad-Core" processor and a HD screen. What does that mean? It means that you'll be able to make this tablet last a little longer, because not only will it run what's out there now very nicely, but probably the next-gen OS and APPs that haven't been released yet. And if you haven't gone to a store and held an HD screen'd tablet side-by-side with a non-HD screen'd one; go do it and see what I'm talking about.
What about the other one? Oh yeah; Microsoft Surface, running Windows 8 or 8 RT depending on whether you paid for the expensive version. I'll say this: if you have a high school or maybe a middle school kid who wants something light and physically smaller, then consider this. It's largely because these are better for content creation (read writing papers) than any tablet, even the big ones. However, I'll also say that I'd sooner buy a used ultra-portable laptop than shell out about $500 for one of these. $200 vs. $500, real keyboard vs. membrane kinda keyboard.....you decide.
Still confused and would like me to be more specific? Want me to make some recommendations? OK, I'll do that....along with some things to think about as well.
- Apple families; you know who you are. You've gone through several generations of iphones. Mom and/or Dad have an iPad, maybe a MacBook? I'd look long and hard a the Mini for your kid unless there are reasons which can't be overcome. Here's the deal. It may be your kid's tablet, but when they can't find something or want to change a setting, you're going to want to know where that is. When you are traveling somewhere, you'll want everyone to be able to use the same chargers...trust me on this.
- Budget driven folks; for whatever reason, you need a functional tablet, but simply can't or won't go over a price-point. The lowest price-point, I can recommend if you really can't do $225, is $175. At this price, you can buy a decent machine branded by a decent company that will be probably be there for the duration of the warranty and won't have turned into "makers" of vacuum cleaners. The older model of the Samsungs, the Galaxy Tab 2, is available at lots of places around $179. HP has a tablet about around $150 that has good specs, but it's build quality is not very good. I'd look for one of the old Asus ME tablets. You might get lucky and get one with a nicer screen. Make sure that the Android OS is 4.xx "Ice Cream Sandwich" or newer. Try to get one with a MicroSD card slot so you can put a memory card in there to augment the low amount of memory that comes with tablets in this price range (typically 8Gb).
- Bang For The Buck Buyers; look to spend $225-275. The Nexus 7 HD, whether you buy the Google version (made by Asus) or the Asus version (made by Asus) are really great deals right now. They typically sell at $229. The hardware is very nice, the screen is excellent and it's well-made. Personally, if I wasn't as price-sensitive, I'd look for one of the Asus models that has the MicroSD card readers although it's not as big of an issue here since most of these tablets will come with 16Gb of memory on board. But hey, it's always nice to be prepared, especially if you travel a lot and want to put a bunch of movies on there for your kid.
- Beyond this price point, you are mostly paying for extras that are very user specific. These are things such as a docking keyboard, extra-super-duper fancy camera, bigger screen, other things that kids don't need. Also, buy a 7" tablet. You'll/They'll appreciate the way more convenient smaller size. You'll appreciate the smaller price as well.
But what about Nabis and Kindles!?! Here's the deal on those. I wouldn't generally recommend either of them for the same philosophical reason and different real-world reasons. I don't like products that are specifically "limited". Since Android is basically an "open" standard, manufacturers can basically do with it what they want. Some, based on what market segment they are trying to sell to, will create a "walled garden" so only certain APPs are available for their product. This is all fine and good you have a young child, but create issues if you have a school-aged kid who will have different needs as they grow. In the Nabi's case (literally), they've essentially added a silicone case to the case. That might be a good thing if you have a younger kid or a particularly accident-prone one, but I'd suspect that it would be a bit of an issue to put in the typically over-stuffed book-bag though. Both the Kindle Fire, and Blackberry playbook are really nice devices, however, they both limit their users to specific subsets of Android Apps available or worse yet, their own Apps. Just ask HP how that one worked out! Nook? See above. But in the end, what the issue ends up being is that, if their specific adaptations aren't exactly what you need, then not only do they not offer any more for your money, but end up limiting what you can do with it in the long run.
A few last notes and items to address before closing out this post. What about a phone? Your kid may campaign for one, but the simple fact is that they really don't have big enough screens to do any sort of real work on. They are also often too small to allow the user to make accurate button presses on some of the curriculum specific practice apps. Plus, since they are often tied to the data side of your cellphone plan, do you really want to trust that your kid is going to go through the extra step to make sure that they've logged on to the schools WiFi network vs. being still tied to the cell tower sucking down your data minutes? Really? You do actually know your 8, 9 or 10 year old, right? Yeah, that's what I thought.
"So, which size do I buy?" I'll make it easy. Unless you have specific needs, buy the 7" or as close to that size as possible. It's small enough to make it easy to throw in a bag, but it's big enough to read for an extended time and see things without squinting. If you can afford it, get one with Gorilla Glass, much less likely to break when your child throws it. Again, if it fits in your budget, I'd try to get one with a MicroSD card reader (memory cards are cheap). For your sanity, get them decent headphones, and a car-USB adapter (make sure that it'll support the electrical draw of a tablet though; about 2amps). Get a decent case that has a hard cover over the screen. You've seen the inside of your child's book bag, right? .....and have seen how they throw that around?
Where to buy? OK, let me start by saying that I'm not supported by any company in any way shape or form. I share with you what I do based on hard-won experience and my partially tough-in-cheek eccentricities. If there's a Micro Center in your area; print out this post and go there. They have a lot of stuff so you need to give yourself some time. Go on a weeknight or the middle of a weekday. Do not go on Saturday any time around and after noon. Same for Sunday. I like them because unlike other places, their staff seems to know what they are talking about. I like that. They also tend to hire people that actually speak good English. I also like that. But they are physically much smaller than a Fry's so they'll often get crowded. I go to Fry's sometimes, when I feel like being alone. Unless you are like me; don't go. Or expect that no one will help you. You (or they) won't be able to find what you want (the thing in the ad) since they sold both of them within minutes of the Friday ad coming out. I prefer not to go to Walmart or Best Buy for obvious reasons. Although Best Buy usually has lots of stuff out, and is a good place to just go and look at the models. Expect no useful help, unless it's a full-moon and on an alternate Thursday during a Leap-year. I'd sooner go to Walmart, although you won't think that they have what you are looking for since it won't be on display and you won't be able to see it locked behind the expanded steel-mesh cage at ankle level. The one kid who knows stuff won't be working on the day you go there. Amazon is a better bet.
The last week or so, Samsung has been running a bunch of ads on TV for a "smartwatch" which is supposed to work with their Galaxy line of Android phones. If you're unfamiliar with these things, they've actually been around for a while going back to the huge Palm OS watch some years ago, but with the advent of smartphones, the reality of a watch that links to them, while the phone hides discretely in your pocket is alluring..... at least conceptually...... which is probably why they have thus far been commercial failures.
Even the mighty Sony hasn't even gotten it's 2nd version to make so much as a ripple in the market. I'll admit it; I've been sorely tempted by it. As a teacher, I don't have the luxury of grabbing my phone to look, every time it buzzes, to see if it's just another Facebook notification, or that call-back from the doctor's office I've been waiting for all morning! However, I just can't seem to get myself to pull the plug on spending somewhere between $100 and $200 on something that requires me to charge every day or so (just like my cellphone), and is still somewhat glitchy, plus I might not find myself using on a regular basis.
Of course, some of it might be that I'm kind of a crusty old guy who wears one of these on a daily basis. Yup, my dad's old Omega Constellation, which is a "perpetual", a completely mechanical "self-winding" watch from the late 60's! The other watch that I wear regularly is an older Timex Expedition which is a similar completely analog watch with a plain white face and a simplistic brown resin case.
Even if I could run out and buy any watch I wanted, it'd be one of these Omega Seamasters. I know what you're thinking. I've loved them long before James Bond started wearing one in the movies, instead of the Rolex Submariner that he wears in the books. Is this a post on watches then? Actually, no; it's a post on "Cool" concepts that don't turn out to be all that useful.
In fact this whole line of thinking started the other day when I realized that I have a really cool device that I virtually never use. Awhile ago, I saw that Iomega had released an external storage solution built on a 1.8" SSD. So, not only was it incredibly small and light, but it's in a really nice embossed metal case. Of course price ranged from $230 (64Gb) to $750 for the 256Gb version! Yikes, that's a lot of money for cool! I decided that I'd do an eBay search anyway and see what the price ends up coming down to when they hit the used market. Then I came up with some ads posted from China (where else), for the cases w/o drives for something like $15 after shipping. As it turns out, I had an unused 64Gb Samsung OEM, 1.8" SSD that came out of my old X300 ThinkPad. After sitting in a drawer for over a year, it needed a job. A 3 week wait ensued after which the package finally arrived via China Post. Indeed, the thing came in the Iomega packaging complete down to the paperwork for the device. I slipped in the drive, and one quick format later, I have this really slick external storage device with the capacity of....... a nice flashdrive...... Yup, after all that, I rarely ever use it, since it doesn't give any more capacity or have any advantages over the 64Gb flashdrive that you can run down to Walmart and buy for $35-40. Kind of a letdown.
Then, there are these guys....Ultrabooks. You might be aware that Intel periodically puts together concepts that they create prototypes of and encourages manufacturers to build.
Kind of like this '56 Firebird "Concept Car" from GM. Mostly they are really cool ideas that don't turn out to work that well in real life. A few years ago, Intel thought that it'd be a great idea if you put a small LCD screen on the outside of a laptop so you can see when email comes in or what music track it's playing etc. Turns out that nobody wanted to carry around a notebook computer in place of a iPod or Smartphone.... who Knew! Anyway, back to my original thought; the Ultrabook. At the time, it seemed like an idea who's time had come. An ultralight, ultraslim (hence ultraportable), ultracool (ultra-like-the-Apple-MacBook Air), notebook computer. Even ultra-sealed-up (like you know who), so that you can't even change the battery w/o taking it apart. ......and as it turns out, Ultra-not-really-salable either since they've been met in the marketplace with a collective yawn. Conceptually, it seems like a great idea, but I think there are a couple of issues here.
Mind you, these are my not-too-scientific analysis here, but we can start by it's poor timing of coming to market around the time-frame of the iPad/tablet revolution which has swept all before it. They also tend to be somewhat pricier than the typical consumer market notebook (about double). And while consumers are OK with tablets being dependent on downloaded apps/content, I think they are still somewhat leery of a full-blown PC coming w/o an optical drive. You add to that the rather inept staff of blue-shirted zombies at the big-box stores trying to sell them. I'd say that it all conspires to hold down these things in the marketplace. And remember, this is all coming from an X301 user, which after all is one of the original computers that kicked off that form-factor.....albeit in "super-ultrabook" form given that it does have an optical drive!
Who, knows; maybe there's life in these products still to be sparked. It's rumored that Apple is going to bring out an "iWatch"(?), as well as M$ and some other industry heavy hitters. I know that I still think that the concept is interesting and that I could see myself using one at some point, but then again: I used the Palm V up until last year!
No, this is not about me and a friend or me and a pet; it's really a semi-catchy title for a post about me and Apple products...kind of. I love them......it's that simple. Like BMWs, I love them too. I even bought one of them back in my pre-wife/pre-children days. And let me tell ya; they are the Ultimate Driving Machine! And I wasn't just any BMW driver, I owned an "M" car, the M5 to be specific. Not just any M car (notice the lack of quotes here?), but the E28, M5 that were actually assembled at their Motosport facility in Munich, of which, only about 600 or so made it to the United States in 1987, sold as '88 models. You could have any color you wanted as long as it was black, and you had one choice to make (tan or black leather seats) and there was one option....heated or non-heated seats. It was the fastest production car in the world when they first introduced it at the 1984 Amsterdam Auto Show. Not surprising since it had the M1's engine in it. The top end was limited to 149mph (here in America) due to the aerodynamics being similar to that of a brick.....as you can see.
What does this have to do with Macs? Am I going through middle-age crisis and about to run out to buy something like this again and try to win over some young lassie? No, of course not! I'm happily "Daddy", and driving my very utilitarian Chevrolet Trailblazer and responsible Honda Civic Hybrid. The point I'm making is this.
What is technically or design-wise "the best" isn't generally the best choice. I chose the title "Frugal Propellerhead" for a very specific reason. Although I love technology, I work within some very clear confines AND to some degree, I revel in that fact. The fact that I can accomplish what I do with the compromised that I need to make given my circumstances AS WELL AS personal philosophy of getting the most "bang for the buck". Of course that's opinion; it is a blog after all, so by nature, about opinions, right?
So I'll continue this with an explanation of what shapes my thinking in regard to Macs. I'll have to start by saying that I have a bit of an aversion to "prestige" type products. An example was the BMW. Let me just be clear that I LOVE cars (also virtually all other forms of transportation including everything from airplanes to locomotives and even scooters)! However, I couldn't get myself to buy a BMW. Despite the basis of the companies history being rooted in performance and motorsport, much like Ferrari or Porsche, the majority of their buyers are well-heeled buyers purchasing based on prestige. These are for the most part, people who wouldn't know first thing about performance driving. Here in the United States unlike Europe, we think driving is a right, not a privilege. Therefore, we often simply buy what we can make payments on, and not what we need, much less what we can use in it's intended manner.
What made me think of this was a message from my friend Rich. He's a professional database programmer who makes his living using computers. He uses Macs because for what he does, it works best; also because they are well-built and well-designed. So, after reading my post on using my ThinkPad Tablet, he pointed out that there are software APPs for the iPad that would allow it to do what I did on my tablet. Ahhhhh, if only all users/buyers are rational and informed like him! It'd be awesome if they weren't to originally, that they'd education themselves after purchase, but no, like most Starbucks sipping, cellphone talking BMW drivers out there, the majority of iPad users don't buy it because of it's design and performance excellence, but due to it's popularity. Therefore, in an almost perverse manner; it is form over function.
It is a bit of a double edge sword though and I'm ambivilent about it. On one had, I decry the fact that Apple charges what I consider an absurd premium for it's products, which is mostly due to the fact that they can. At the same time though, like gamers, their designers pushing the envelop leads others to improve their designs as well. If we never had the MacBook Air, we'd probably never have today's UltraBooks.
However, I and others like me, the frugal tech-lovers of the world should really thank these folks! They buy for looks and popularity, not for function.....so when something newer, and perceived to be cooler comes along, then they buy that and get rid of what they had. That's what I really LOVE. It allowed me to buy my wife's less than year old $550 tablet for $202, my friend Steve's iPad for $215. This works for DSLRs as well. My "Plastic Fantastic" Nikon D50 cost me less than $100.
So.....Love Thy Ignorant Neighbor!
Not even we, are immune the trends. About a month ago, the first tablet came to live at our house. I've alluded to it before, but never fully explained how I got what might be one of greatest "deals" in my Frugal Propellerhead career. So let me back up to the middle of the summer when this all started.
At that point, my iPad toting brother-in-law who spent the summer here had been around for a month, and my techno-lust had been well-and-truly ignited. Of course, me being me, I didn't really want an iPad that seemingly every pretentious house-wife and fashionista twenty-something was toting around. Even my father-in-law had given in to the the disease and gotten one for his wife. So obviously that was pretty much off of my radar.....even if I could rationalize or afford it.
What I really wanted was the ThinkPad "Slate" Tablet, by Lenovo. I didn't want it because it was a ThinkPad. I wanted it because of what made it a ThinkPad Tablet. It was everything that the iPad wasn't; it was function first and really pretty utilitarian in design. Not to say it's ugly, it's a bit of a "government agency GMC Yukon" of tablets. Of course you can read about it on one of the many review sites, but let me at least say that I'm more than pleased with the performance. It's equipped with a 10" IPS screen covered with Gorilla glass and packs a dual core processor supported by 64Gb of storage, not to mention the full SD card slot!
However, it's really the "back-story" of how I came to have it that's more interesting....so here goes. When I started looking at tablets. I was originally intent on starting out by purchasing a cheap android clone just to play around with, before I invested in something nicer. In fact, I had found a guy on Craig's List who was trying to sell a little 7" Viewsonic for $30. However, that seller was kind of flaky and never would meet me, so the sale never came to fruition. As many of you are aware, when I get interested in something, I spend a lot of time researching and hours on eBay watching them. Of course I was aware of the ThinkPad Tablet, but couldn't even afford the $250-300 that I sometimes saw them sell for, much less the $550 to $650 that they sold at new. Therefore, they were pretty much a "pipe-dream". Then, one day while scanning the eBay ads, I came across a guy selling a "new-looking", but "non-working" ThinkPad Tablet for $200. Knowing that they hadn't been out for very long, I was curious why the guy didn't just send it in for warranty repairs. We messaged back and forth on eBay; enough so that I was comfortable with him being what he claimed to be......which was someone who goes out to auctions and buys up pallets of goods. He said that it was in a "mixed lot" pallet and the rest of what he had for sale pretty much bore this out. What it means, is that his business is to go to various auctions, bid on pallets of goods that can come from almost anywhere, but commonly, from places that have gone out of business. So they end up with all manner of stuff that they don't have time to test thoroughly. They make money, by "flipping" this stuff as quickly as possible and do it all over again.
Anyway, the most interesting part was that although he tried.....and ultimately failed to figure out how to work Lenovo's support site to find out the warranty status. Lenovo, like all the other bigger corporate suppliers typically have 1 to 3 year warranty periods which are pretty liberal. So, after a little digging, I figured out that the tablet in question, which by the way was the highest spec 64Gb model was covered till November 23rd of this year! And, before I offered him $150 (which he accepted), I even told him about it! Then began my odyssey with Lenovo warranty service:
- The day I received it from the seller, I called Lenovo support-
- they sent out a box which I received the next day-
- that same day I got it back on UPS to the Memphis repair depot (which used to the EZ-Serv division of IBM)-
- the following day they acknowledged that the tablet had been received and said it would take a week-
- after a week, I saw online that it was "on hold for parts" so I called them to find out what happened-
- got escalated to a manager- who called me the next day to say that they weren't going to have that part for some time and they'd talk to Lenovo to see what they could do-
- a day later, he called me to say that Lenovo had agreed to replace it with a new unit......shipped directly from the factory in China!!!
- Two weeks after that, I receive delivery of a brand new ThinkPad "Slate" Tablet directly to my house.......after one month of my time and $150 invested!
Do I love it more because it was ridiculously cheaper than what the normal price should have been? Yup, I sure do....but that's not the end of the story. Apparently I don't love it as much as my 9 year old son and 6 year old daughter, so we all know what that means, right!?! You got it......
Daddy-Claus has been busily looking for something for Christmas. After examing a crazy number of different tablets, it came down to what I was willing to spend on two elementary aged kids while making the salary of a teacher. That turns out to be around $100 give or take. Decision parameters?
- Their kids! If we were a part of a different demographic, maybe it'd be a no-brainer and we'd just buy iPads........hmmmmm...........naaaaaawwww.
- It needed to be small for kid hands and so they could carry it around in backpacks etc.
- It needed to have a dual-core processor so it could run something better than Android Gingerbread.
- It needed to be better-built than the usual "no-name" clones that may run great, or may break after a week.
Actually the device that got me going was the Arnova 7, specifically the 7F G3 that Micro Center had on their sales flier for $100. For those who aren't familiar with them, Arnova, is a low-end branding used by Archos, a French electronics manufacturer. Although, not exactly an iPad killer, it does have a dual-core and comes loaded with Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Therefore, now that I had a legitimate price for a 7" tablet running something other than warmed-over phone Android, from an honest-to-gosh manufacturer, I now had a standard.
What I had figured out was this:
- I could buy a decent tablet pretty much any time, new or used for around $100. All you have to do is to do a search on the local Craig's List.
- Unfortunately, at that price, all you'll usually get is an old single-core machine only capable of running Android "Gingerbread"....like the Lenovo IdeaPad A1 (illustrated above).
- I wanted one built at least as nicely as the Lenovo IdeaPad....
- But wanted it to be able to run Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) or better.....
- And of course, I only wanted to spend around $100
So it looked like it was going to be the Arnova 7F G3 for a while.....right up until I came across the Dell Streak 7, being sold by Newegg, "refurbished" for $120. Here was everything I was looking for in one package. As part of the refurbishing, these unit are loaded with Honeycomb. It comes with Gorilla-Glass (just like my ThinkPad Slate), and a full sized SD card slot. And I'm betting that the refurbishing amounted to loading the new OS, flashing the ROM and replacing the backs with one that doesn't have T-Mobile markings! I'd lay even money that Newegg got a sweetheart deal on them when T-Mobile decided to get rid of the ones that hadn't sold yet from their original cost-supplimented deal they had cut with Dell. Anyway; I don't really care. I'm going to look good at Christmas this year is all I know!
Which leaves one thing left to do. You guessed it: A tablet for the wife of course! Let me give you one quote and see if you translate it as quickly as I did. Upon being offered to use my Slate, she said: "No, that's your tablet". The emphasis is mine of course, but you got the message, right? Now I've just got to decide whether to go with any one of the following options:
- A "rooted" HP TouchPad running Android 4.0 (ICS)- Least expensive
- A Motorola Xoom- Middle of the road (cost-wise)
- Or give in, worship at the alter of Jobs and buy her an iPad- Most expensive
Of course, this is a conundrum all to itself and obviously in need of a separate post.
